KAU sustainability




Support services for people with disabilities

Serving and integrating students with special needs is one of the priorities that KAU seeks to achieve. KAU has worked to create effective mechanisms to take into account the rights of people with special needs and to provide support and appropriate service to their needs according to the available capabilities. The mechanisms include:
• Forming a Higher Committee headed by His Excellency the President of the University and a Permanent Committee for Students with Disabilities headed by the Dean of Student Affairs to take care of the rights of students with special needs, with a representation of students with special needs from various disabilities in these committees.
• Providing counselling programs to help students with special needs.
• Forming a Technical Committee to undertake the tasks of classifying students with special needs who are eligible for aid and directing the remuneration administration to complete and disburse due cases. Around 88% of students with special needs who applied received subsidies.
• Providing a specific body at the university to take care of people with special needs from their registration until their graduation, the Center for People with Special Needs at the Vice Deanship of Student Affairs for People with Special Needs.
• Providing appropriate facilities and equipment for people with special needs.
• A Higher Committee chaired by the Vice-Dean for Projects, an Executive Committee chaired by the Deanship of Student Affairs Vice-Dean for Students with Special Needs and a Permanent Committee are formed to speed up and follow up the implementation of accessibility projects within the university facilities with providing channels for submitting proposals or complaints about any obstacles facing students with special needs using both paper and online forms.
• Defining criteria and mechanisms for accepting students with special needs in undergraduate and postgraduate programs and facilitating their acceptance in the university and the services provided to them through the Screening and placement committee for students with special needs.
• Roadmap for the development of programs for people with special needs at KAU. It aims at inducing a path for deaf school students to be able to enroll in the university and developing essential skills to deal with those students.
• Take the necessary measures to organize the participation of students with special needs in sports activities and to represent the university in the Saudi Universities Sports Federation Championships, which are held annually at the level of Saudi universities under direct supervision from the Ministry of Education.

In fact, KAU has made substantial efforts to make progress in providing an attractive environment for students with special needs. This was reflected through the receiving the “Zero Project Award” from the United Nations for the initiative “Empowering students with disabilities initiative at KAU” in 2020 and recently in 2022.

KAU: ZERO PROJECT WINNERS 2020+2022

KAU has around 1,100 students with disabilities, including 200 with visual impairments. KAU has launched a project, called “Show Me The Way”, to make its campus and facilities individually accessible for students, with this specific disability type, by making the educational experience accessible for blind and visually impaired students. This project has been the winner for the “Zero Project” competition 2020, which provides a platform for the most innovative and effective solutions to problems that persons with disabilities face.
https://www.kau.edu.sa/Pages-Zero-Project.aspx

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GB-ncDXnGcARdGt1ozVgHvdwJqHR0BoD/view?usp=drive_link

Non-Discrimination Admissions Policy

Providing Equal Opportunities

KAU has around 50% of its students as Female students. Furthermore, KAU is honored to embrace more than 25% of the total students with disabilities enrolled in the Saudi Universities within the Kingdom. Hence, KAU will continue to develop the talents of people with disabilities and females, invest in their productive capabilities and enable them to strengthen their future and contribute to the development of the society and economy. In this regard, King Abdulaziz University established the Vice Deanship for People with Special Needs whose message is to support students with special needs to obtain an equal educational environment and enable them to take full advantage of the educational, social and cultural opportunities offered at King Abdulaziz University, and their easy access to services and accommodation.

The Student Handbook: Policy to admit and help students with special needs

KAU published the academic advising student handbook, which is a procedural manual for academic advising policies, in 2013, with yearly updates (if needed) and reviews. This manual contains the policy of the advice programs to help new students with special needs. It is a guiding program that deals with all issues and problems of new university students with special needs. These issues are related to students’ adaptation to different university environments and their capabilities development to communicate and deal with the different groups of university employees and other students in order to secure a "life with minimum issues & disturbances" and full of human security. The paths of the counseling program for people with special needs are listed below:
 The program is offered once at the beginning of each semester to introduce new students with special needs to the available facilities and services to raise their awareness about their university rights and introduce them to the different environments from which they can benefit and practice their activities similar to their normal peers.
 The program provides advisory services on an ongoing basis for this category, and supervises the implementation of all the requirements they need.
 Each semester, a course is offered on the culture of dealing with people with special needs, targeting faculty members and all university employees.
 A copy of the academic guides printed in Braille will be provided for blind students.
 Colleges’ guidance stickers are explained, indicating the location of the pathways for students with motor disabilities and their dedicated pathways at the various entrances and buildings of university colleges.
KAU fights all types of discrimination through its policies and procedures, be it the national policies or the university's specific policies.
KAU Admission's policy is a non-discrimination policy that is reviewed and published on yearly basis with updates where and when needed. In 2021 about 49% of full-time students of all levels and all programs were females.

Vice Deanship for People with Special Needs

KAU established, in 2017, the Vice Deanship for Persons with disabilities, which provides world-class facilitation services and leadership in serving the community of students with special needs and is the first of its kind in all universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. KAU annually publishes its student handbook policy which is considered as a positive discrimination as it includes a special program for applicants with disabilities, that
▪ is offered at the beginning of each semester to introduce new students with special needs to the available facilities and services to raise their awareness about their university rights and help them benefit and practice their activities similar to their normal peers.
▪ deals with all issues and problems of new university students with special needs.
▪ provides advisory services on an ongoing basis for this category, and supervises the implementation of all the requirements they need.

A special guide is circulated to students with special needs by the Special Needs Center that explains all the services that KAU offers via the center
The Vice Deanship's Vision is to provide world-class facilitation services and leadership in serving the community of students with special needs. It was established in March 2017 for people with special needs and is the first of its kind in all universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Special Needs Centre, at King Abdul Aziz University, applies the non-discriminative admissions policies towards all people with special needs in all disciplines and including all disabilities.

Its Objectives
Its goal is to promote the full and independent participation of people with special needs in post-secondary education, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors by:
 Enabling people with special needs to take their appropriate place in society in accordance with international agreements.
 Providing an environment that takes into account individual differences for all individuals.
 Taking into account the compatibility of the university environment with the International Convention for Persons with Disabilities.
 Providing the necessary support to acquire the necessary academic skills for students with special needs.
 Optimizing the use of assistive technology to fulfill tasks related to people with disabilities.
 Providing academic, psychological and social counseling for people with disabilities.
It should be noted that the Vice Deanship's policies, that are related to people with special needs and disabilities, are reviewed periodically, last of which was in the academic year 2019-2020.


Special Admissions Facilities for Students with Hearing Disabilities

A new strategic plan for deaf education in the university is deployed, where the university has put in place a number of strategic plans to serve this class, the last of which is the strategic plan for deaf education that aims to make the university an ideal and attractive environment for them according to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and aims to open a new specialization for male and female students every year. This year Female students, with severe hearing disabilities, were accepted in the Fashion Industry Program at the College of Home Economics which is a unique program designed specifically for the deaf in which students study an introductory year developed specifically for the program.
And for further support, King Abdulaziz University, represented by the Faculty of Tourism, has allocated 10% of the travel and tourism diploma seats for students with special needs to train and qualify them to the job market, in support of the university to train such an important segment of the Saudi society. This initiative comes from the university to show special attention and care for students with special needs. It also falls within the strategic plans of the social responsibility of the university to provide a scientific degree that covers theoretical and scientific aspects in accordance with local aspirations and international standards, and in order to develop the competitive capabilities of male and female students of the university, contribute to building community partnership, and develop programs to care for students with special needs.

Moreover, and as a positive discrimination, each semester
1. a course is offered on the culture of dealing with people with special needs, targeting faculty members and all university employees.
2. a copy of the academic guides printed in Braille is provided for blind students.
3. faculties’ guidance stickers are explained, indicating the location of the pathways for students with motor disabilities and their dedicated pathways at the various entrances and buildings of university colleges.

In this regards, KAU publishes its admission policy which states the admission conditions without any discriminative rule or condition. Rather, and as a positive discrimination, it explicitly requires official documents for applicants with special needs (page 17). The full admission guide is published on the vice deanship of admission webpage and also on the social media.




Positive Discrimination for Under-Represented Groups

For the sake of supporting under-represented groups, a new strategic plan for deaf education, in the university, has been deployed, where the university has put in place a number of strategic plans to serve this class, the last of which is the strategic plan for deaf education that aims to make the university an ideal and attractive environment for them according to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and aims to open a new specialization for male and female students every year. In 2019, Female students, with severe hearing disabilities, were accepted in the Fashion Industry Program at the College of Home Economics which is a unique program designed specifically for the deaf in which students study an introductory year developed specifically for the program.
A sample of a study plan (preparatory year) for the deaf


 

Recruiting Sports Coaches with Disabilities

In terms of people with disabilities, King Abdulaziz University has been working on recruiting sports champions, who are members of the national sports teams for people with disabilities, to join the university's coaching staff, where a few players from the Kingdom's National team were recruited in the weightlifting and wheelchairs racing coaching teams.


 

MENTORING PROGRAMMES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

KAU, is one of the top universities in the kingdom that continuously strive to run mentoring programs for people with disabilities. A Mentoring Program at the Beginning of each Semester. KAU published the academic advising student handbook, which is a procedural manual for academic advising policies, in 2013 with yearly updates (if needed) and reviews. This manual contains the policy of the advice programs to help new students with special needs. It is a guiding program that deals with all issues and problems of new university students with special needs. These issues are related to students’ adaptation to different university environments and their capabilities development to communicate and deal with the different groups of university employees and other students in order to secure a "life with minimum issues & disturbances" and full of human security. The paths of the counseling program for people with special needs are listed below:
▪ The mentoring program is offered once at the beginning of each semester to introduce new students with special needs to the available facilities and services to raise their awareness about their university rights and introduce them to the different environments from which they can benefit and practice their activities similar to their normal peers.
▪ The mentoring program provides advisory services on an ongoing basis for this category, and supervises the implementation of all the requirements they need.
▪ Each semester, a course is offered on the culture of dealing with people with special needs, targeting faculty members and all university employees.
▪ A copy of the academic guides printed in Braille will be provided for blind students.
▪ Colleges’ guidance stickers are explained, indicating the location of the pathways for students with motor disabilities and their dedicated pathways at the various entrances and buildings of university colleges.

ACCESSIBLE FACILITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

King Abdul Aziz University is a beacon of awareness in the service of people with disabilities and its research, and provides a service similar to that offered by the developed countries to this dear group of university employees and students in particular, and the society in general.
The efforts of KAU in serving people with special needs in the field of higher education are continuing and, up to now, KAU has received appreciation from many authorities for the special provided services, such as:
▪ The National Academic Accreditation Authority, NAAA, described the services provided by the Center as “Impressive”.
▪ The University's College of Engineering received a “Strong Points” evaluation by the American Board of Engineering (ABET) Accrediting Authority for the services provided to students of with special needs.
▪ The University currently chairs the Care Committee of Students with Special Needs at the universities of the Gulf Cooperation Council states and embraces the Secretariat of the Committee due to its providing of advanced services, consultations and research support services to the rest of the universities in this field.
KAU gave a full attention to people with disabilities, specifically on 8 June 2016, when the University Rector, issued the attached Administrative Decision to form the Executive Committee with the mandate of easy access to the university without any constraint for the people with disabilities.
Thereafter, KAU started deploying multiple access procedures on campus that would support people with disabilities accessibility to required facilities.
In 2020, KAU was the winner of the Zero Project which provides people with disabilities (blind-visual challenges) the ability to access all campus using a special path, while receiving necessary instructions on his/her mobile phone over a Bluetooth network is that is deployed all over the campus to serve this goal. The project is explained further in the below section.
In 2021 KAU participated in Zero Project with an accessibility solution program to compete with other solutions offered by various organizations from over 30 countries world wide.

https://zeroproject.org/fileadmin/root_zeroproject/Downloads/Publications/2022-Zero-Project-Report-Accessibility-accessible.pdf

KAU stresses the importance of providing services and technologies that appoint students with special needs at the level of mobility, services, activities or academic affairs, as part of the university strive to avail access facilities, for disabled, within the university environment through many programs and projects that have been completed recently.


Special Support to Access Facilities

Below is a sample request that is a facility which can be accessed by people with disabilities for the sake of receiving the needed support and easy access to any place in the university for Students, Faculties, and Visitors with disabilities.


Access to King Fahd Public Library (KFPL)
Below is a sample request that is a facility which can be accessed by people with disabilities for the sake of receiving the needed support and easy access to any place in the university for Students, Faculties, and Visitors with disabilities.


Access to University Dorms

Students, who have various types of disability like mobility, vision, and hearing, get free accommodation in the university dorms, and they are provided with services that guarantee a normal university life similar to the rest of their colleagues without any distinction. They also have the priority in choosing the rooms they prefer in the dorms.


Special Parking

There are special parking places for people with disabilities at all colleges and university facilities.


Special Examinations Hall

A hall equipped to perform examinations for special cases of people with any disability in coordination with course Instructors.


A Special Computer lab with Screen Reader Software and Speakers

 


Special Support Services for People with Disabilities

Safety and Risk Management Culture Promotion for the Hearing-Impaired Initiative:
In collaboration with the occupational safety and health administration as well as the emergency and disaster center this initiative was launched to prepare and habilitate a generation of hearing-impaired individuals with the abilities to overcome disasters and avoid dangerous situations by raising their awareness through promoting safety culture and educating them about correct disaster responses and safety measures. This initiative aims to shed more light on this important group in our community and some of the initiative’s contributions include the translation of over 40 brochures related to safety and disaster management to sign language, educational lectures, educational public events, and competitions for raising the public’s awareness in dealing with the hearing-impaired. Finally, this initiative ultimately desires to accomplish unity among all parts of the community and its many efforts dedicated towards the hearing-impaired have contributed greatly to achieving that.


Emergency Evacuation Plan for People with Disabilities:

In collaboration with King Saud University, a training program for general emergency evacuation plans for people with disabilities was launched. This program includes workshops for the university’s members educating them on how to properly evacuate people with disabilities in case of emergencies in an efficient manner and teaches those with disabilities on the proper evacuation methods and prepares them to handle such emergency situations.


Special Needs Center

1. Several translators (Arabic/English) and sign language teachers are assigned to deaf students.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1debNuCRP3tCZqkHJ-iDOS6LCrJNL8QoL/view?usp=drive_link


2. Special Medical Services: Students with disabilities benefit from:
• Free medical services
• A priority reception and appointments treatment of their own, so that they do not need to wait in the regular queues but rather, they are provided with priority service, as well as a prompt supply with their medicines.
• A specialized dental clinic, in the University Dental Hospital, with special dentists who are specializing in this field.
3. Special Representative in the Higher Student Advisory Committee
4. Braille Sense 2 devices are loaned to blind students free of charge.
5. The presence of a Braille printer for words, maps, and images at the Agency's Headquarters.
6. Special Parental Committee: Is a special committee of students with disabilities' parents, that communicates directly, with the general supervisor of the Center for People with Special Needs, in all matters pertaining to their children's education and the need for receiving any support and guidance.
7. Assistive technologies for people with special needs
8. Special Transportation Services: Buses, that are equipped with guides who are experts in the mobility of students with disabilities, and equipped with special elevators, transport people with visual impairments and other motion disabilities within and outside the university campus.
9. Access to sport centers and have opportunities to participate in local championships


ACCESS SCHEMES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

KAU is the ZERO Project 2020 Winner with its project
“SHOW ME THE WAY”.
In 2022, ZERO Project theme was “Accessibility”. KAU presented an accessibility solution along with other 76 innovative solutions from 35 countries worldwide. “A comprehensive program to make a university accessible to all” was the headline of the presented factsheet.


Vice Deanship for Persons with Disabilities

2. Several translators (Arabic/English) and sign language teachers are assigned to deaf students.


The Vice Deanship's Vision is to provide world-class facilitation services and leadership in serving the community of students with special needs.
It was established in March 2017. The sector for people with special needs is the first of its kind in all universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Its goal is to promote the full and independent participation of people with special needs in higher education, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors by:
▪ Enabling people with special needs to take their place in society in accordance with international agreements.
▪ Providing an environment that takes into account individual differences for all individuals.
▪ Taking into account the compatibility of the university environment with the International Convention for Persons with Disabilities.
▪ Providing the necessary support to acquire the necessary academic skills for students with special needs.
▪ Optimizing the use of assistive technology to fulfill tasks related to people with disabilities.
▪ Providing academic, psychological and social counseling for people with disabilities.

Sample Access Schemes for People with Disabilities

Targeted Support:
1. The presence of 3.2 km track for the blind people in the academic field.
2. Translating the awareness brochures for the occupational safety and health administration, and the emergency
3. Translating the awareness brochures for the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, and the Emergency Center for Sign Language, through an agreement
between the Hof Group and the Occupational Safety & Health Center and the Emergency and Disaster Center at King Abdulaziz University.
4. The existence of an application called Show me the way to introduce blind students to the important places in the university.
5. The university's website supports the speaker program to ensure that students with visual disabilities are guided and advised to access all needed information with full self-independence.
6. There is a golf cart, wheelchairs, electric chairs for people with disabilities, automatic doors and elevators equipped with Braille language.
7. Accommodation in the University's Dorms: Providing students, who have various types of disability like mobility, vision, and hearing, with accommodation in the university dorms, and they are provided with services that guarantee a normal university life similar to the rest of their colleagues without any distinction. They even have the priority in choosing the rooms they prefer in the dorms.
8. Eliminating obstacles such as providing buildings with automatic doors, slopes, etc. The University cooperates in this framework with local and international bodies such as the King Salman Center for Disability Research and the International Organization for Accessibility in the Urban and Electronic gates.



Last Update
9/5/2023 6:49:19 AM